Congress passes four-year FAA bill

After 23 short-term extensions, both chambers of Congress passed the four-year funding bill for the FAA. It now goes to the President, who is expected to sign it. This gives the FAA long-term planning after more than four years of delays.

The House passed the bill last week and the Senate did so Monday, Feb. 6. The $63 billion bill passed the Senate 75 to 20. It had the support of 38 Democrats. The Senate is where the bill had been stalled, primarily because of disagreements with the House over labor rules.

Various aviation groups in Washington lauded passage of the bill. They issued congratulatory statements to both chambers. Their early reaction is relief that the FAA can now move ahead with the long-term work on the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) to replace World War II radar with new satellite technology.

More details and reactions of organizations will be forthcoming after the President moves on the bill.